Call our Helpline

If you have a query about breast cancer or breast health, just want to talk things through or find more support, our breast care nurses are only at the end of a telephone line.

The Breast Cancer Care Helpline

We provide tailored information and specialist support to anyone affected by breast cancer or with queries about breast health. Callers include people who want to know more about the signs and symptoms of breast cancer; people who’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer, their families and friends; and healthcare professionals.

We hope that by offering accurate information and the chance to talk openly in a safe and confidential space, our callers feel more informed, more confident about making decisions and more supported with what they are going through.

Call us free on 0808 800 6000

Usually we're open:

Monday to Friday – 9am to 4pm
Saturdays – 9am to 1pm

Calls are free from all UK landlines and mobiles. To make sure everyone can contact us we have access to a telephone interpreting service in over 240 languages and the Next Generation Text service, prefix 18001.

If you have a question but prefer to receive the information in writing, you can email our nurses instead.

Christmas and New Year opening hours

Monday 24 December – Open 9am to 2pm

Tuesday 25 December – Closed

Wednesday 26 December – Closed

Thursday 27 December – Open 9am to 4pm

Friday 28 December – Open 9am to 4pm

Saturday 29 December - Closed

Monday 31 December – Open 9am to 2pm

Tuesday 1 January – Closed

What if I can’t get through?

Usually you’ll get through straight away, but at busy times, you may have to wait for a short while. If you’d prefer not to wait, there’s an option to leave a voicemail and we’ll phone back as soon as possible.

Out of hours you can also leave a voicemail and we’ll phone you when we’re next open, usually first thing in the morning.

Who will answer my call?

Our team consists of experienced breast care nurses and trained staff who have a personal or work-related experience of breast cancer.

We keep up to date with developments in the diagnosis, treatment and support of breast cancer and breast health concerns and between us we have a wealth of knowledge and experience in working with people affected by breast cancer. Whatever your concern, you can be assured that we will respond in a friendly, understanding and professional way.

What kind of calls do you get?

Some people want general information, others have specific clinical queries, and some people just want to talk.

Calls might be from:

someone concerned about a breast change

people waiting for test results

women facing treatment choices, such as whether to have chemotherapy

people wanting to talk through the details of their pathology report

people recently diagnosed with secondary breast cancer.

friends, relatives, partners and children of people with breast cancer

healthcare professionals

Some people call us once, others more regularly over a period of time.

I don’t know what I would have done without being able to call the Helpline at each stage. It helps so much to talk to people who understand because you can feel so alone.

From 1 April 2019 Breast Cancer Care will merge with Breast Cancer Now to form Breast Cancer Care and Breast Cancer Now a company limited by guarantee in England 9347608 and a charity registered in England and Wales 1160558, Scotland SC045584 and Isle of Man 1200, with registered office: Fifth Floor, Ibex House, 42-47 Minories, London EC3N 1DY.